Chapter 46: Conclusion of the Incident and the Expression of Gratitude

Shielding the old man behind him, Xia You decided to strike first and commanded, "Everyone, let's attack together!"

His several Pokémon launched their moves simultaneously. In an instant, colorful attacks flew haphazardly, striking Murkrow and Arbok.

While having her Pokémon dodge, Ariana sneered, "Ganging up on fewer opponents—your style really is somewhat different from ordinary trainers!"

Faced with her taunt, Xia You said nothing more. After all, this was not a trainer battle, so there was no need to observe any battle rules.

However, her two Pokémon were indeed formidable. Even under the encirclement of several Pokémon, they managed to seize an opportunity to counterattack.

"Murkrow, use Wing Attack! Arbok, use Sludge Bomb!"

Seeing this, Xia You naturally did not back down, choosing to meet force with force.

"Charmander, use Ember! Squirtle, use Water Gun!"

The two sides' moves collided, causing an explosion. However, since Xia You had more Pokémon, he continued to order, "Jolteon, use Thunder Shock! Ivysaur, use Razor Leaf!"

Murkrow and Arbok failed to dodge in time, each taking a hit and letting out low cries of pain.

"Tch!" Ariana gritted her teeth. When all was said and done, she had underestimated the man before her, and even more so, the number of Pokémon he possessed.

"Very good!" Seeing that the attack was effective, Xia You pressed his advantage, "Kirlia, use Confusion to control them!"

Arbok, which was originally dodging the attacks, was suddenly pulled by the psychic power, its body stalling. Seizing the right moment, Xia You's Pokémon focused their fire and took several moves all at once!

Being beaten back-to-back made Ariana realize that the situation was turning ominous. No matter how unwilling she felt, the circumstances forced her to issue the most prudent command.

"Damn it, we're retreating!"

With that, she recalled Arbok with a Poké Ball, took a running start, and leaped right through the shattered office window from over twenty stories high!

Immediately afterward, Xia You felt a shadow flash before his eyes. Murkrow swept past him, grabbed one of Ariana's arms, and carried her far away from Silph Co.

Seeing that Ariana had indeed departed, Xia You let out a long sigh of relief. Looking at the utter mess all around, he turned back and said apologetically, "Sorry for turning your office into this."

The old man smiled kindly, "It doesn't matter. Compared to preserving our lives, what does a little damage like this count for?"

Unexpectedly, however, Ariana's retreat seemed to trigger a chain reaction.

The sounds of battle in the corridor had already ceased, and the voices of the Team Rocket grunts could no longer be heard at all. When Xia You opened the office door, he bumped right into Sabrina face-to-face.

"Are you alright?" Xia You asked with concern, while his gaze swept past Sabrina's shoulder to look behind her.

"I'm fine," Sabrina shook her head. "It's just that as we were fighting, for some reason, they all suddenly retreated."

In the corridor at that moment, aside from the traces of the recent battle, not a single trace of Team Rocket remained. Even those grunt members who had passed out were actually taken away by them!

"Perhaps their plan was disrupted, and with no hope of kidnapping this elderly gentleman, they chose to leave."

As he spoke, Xia You recalled his other Pokémon one by one, leaving only Kirlia and Gastly.

The old man's gaze wandered back and forth between Xia You's face and the Poké Ball containing Zapdos, and he nodded imperceptibly.

He expressed heartfelt gratitude, "Thank you both so much. If you hadn't extended a helping hand today, not only would this company have been completely destroyed, but the entire world probably would have suffered a catastrophe."

This was not an exaggeration on his part; in fact, if the Master Ball truly fell into Team Rocket's hands and was mass-produced, it would inevitably cause severe destruction to the ecological balance.

"We merely did what was within our power." Having said that, Xia You turned back to Sabrina and said, "There are still many researchers locked up elsewhere. I think we should call the police first and let them handle it."

Sabrina nodded and went downstairs to deal with the relevant matters. Xia You then had Gastly wander around to check if any potential danger still lingered nearby.

When these tasks were finished, he was invited back into the office by the old man.

"Pardon me, I haven't had the chance to introduce myself yet," the old man said. "My name is Silph, and I am the president of this company."

Xia You had already guessed this long ago. He said, "Hello, Mr. Silph. I am Xia You, a Pokémon trainer."

Silph invited Xia You to rest for a moment on the heavily damaged sofa, observed him for a long time, and finally, as if having made a decision, walked slowly over to a wall. He activated a switch, revealing a high-tech safe embedded within.

He input his fingerprint, opened the safe, and retrieved a Poké Ball from inside.

The appearance of this Poké Ball differed from ordinary Poké Balls and Great Balls. Its lower half was the standard white, while its upper half was blue-purple. On both sides were two pink semicircles resembling a fly's eyes, and right in the center of the Poké Ball was a large letter 'M'.

Walking up to Xia You, Silph handed him the Poké Ball and said solemnly, "As a token of my gratitude, I intend to give this Master Ball to you."

"Isn't this gift a bit too valuable?" Xia You quickly stood up. To him, although the Master Ball was precious beyond measure, he preferred catching his favorite Pokémon through battles.

"Accept it," Silph sighed deeply. "The Master Ball has only just been manufactured, and it has already caused such a massive commotion. If the research were truly completed, there's no telling what kind of trouble it would attract."

Xia You asked, "Then why not seal it away permanently?"

Silph shook his head, looking as though he saw right through everything: "No matter where treasure is buried, it will always draw the greedy. It is better to leave it for you to dispose of."

Seeing his resolute attitude, Xia You pondered for a moment and stopped standing on ceremony, receiving the heavy gift with both hands.

Once Sabrina returned, to avoid drawing unnecessary trouble, Xia You decided to quietly leave the premises before the police arrived.

After all, whether it was Zapdos or the Master Ball, he did not want to leak any information to the outside world.

The two bid farewell to Silph, took the elevator down out of the building, and watched the setting sun slowly dip below the horizon. Although they had only been inside for a few short hours, the successive intense battles made it feel as though a lifetime had passed.

At that moment, Sabrina said, "Well, since the commissioned task is completed, I should return to the gym."

Xia You turned to look at her. Though he wanted to say some words of gratitude, in the end, he didn't voice them, simply extending his right hand.

"I hope we can meet again next time."

Sabrina nodded, her soft hand clasping his.

"My intuition tells me we definitely will!"